Chronicle Editor
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
THE Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Masuka has called on the ministry, its departments and agencies to exceed all agricultural production records, as they work towards growing agriculture to a US$13,75 billion industry by 2025.
The sector in 2021 hit the initial target of US$8,2 billion, underpinned by improved productivity and production across all the sub-sectors.
The growth was driven by the successful implementation of the Agriculture Recovery and Growth Plan which was launched in 2020 to engender food security, import substitution, diversified exports, and value addition, among others. The US$8,2 billion initial target was surpassed in 2021, as agriculture grew at an average of 6 percent. This year, the sector is expected to register a 9,7 percent growth rate.
Speaking at the end of the ministry’s five-day strategic workshop in Bulawayo last Friday, the minister challenged the ministry to break and exceed set records.
“We celebrate as we must accomplishments, achievements and milestones, but to achieve Vision 2023 every record in agricultural production must be exceeded. Records must be beaten because it is part of the strategy to achieve Vision 2030, we must exceed 3,2 million metric tonnes of maize and to build a 250 000 metric tonnes strategic grain reserve of wheat must go beyond 440 000 metric tonnes of wheat that we are producing this year,” he said.
He said they must beat all records in the various sectors of agriculture as Vision 2030 must be translated by the ministry.
The minister said his ministry carries the load of 9,1 million Zimbabweans which is 62 percent of the population who survive and depend on agriculture for their living.
He said: “As for the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy where President Mnangagwa in August 2020 said we are going to be a US8,2 billion industry by 2025 we have achieved that and we now think we will be a US$13,75 billion industry and that is possible.”
Minister Masuka said through various Government interventions, the President has said his second term was about leaving a legacy and one of those was Rural Development 8.0 aimed at eradicating poverty in all its forms, including food and water poverty. He said an agricultural development-rural industrialisation-rural Development — Vision 2030 nexus will leave no one and no place behind.
“It must be outcome-oriented and impact-based so that when we implement, we know will lead people on the right path Vision 2030. ‘Food Security Everywhere and Everyday’ is what we want to achieve and be known for that as a legacy of the ministry.”
The minister said the next strategic workshop in 2024 should incorporate people representation from the grassroots level to ensure their voices will also be heard.
“I look forward to next year where some of their representatives can also be here so that they can see the planning process. They may not be intellectually gifted as you are but they will be able to see, and associate with the planning process so that they relate back to their constituencies.”
Online Reporter